Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you are in the world. It’s Dr. Jan Fortman with Relationship Matters TV. I hope everyone is having a beautiful morning, afternoon, or evening. We are here in Chicago or surrounding suburbs and, uh, let’s see what is the temperature. Um, I think, oh, it was on here but I don’t see it anymore, but anyway, it’s cold. So last week I was driving around in my convertible with the top down, sunglasses on, and having a good time, and today I had on my boots and my down coat. And then next week they say it’s supposed to be in the upper 50s, but then that’s Chicago. Like they say, you know, uh, always, uh, keep a coat or a jacket or whatever in your car even in the summertime. So I’m hoping everyone is, um, enjoying themselves. We’re very, very close to the holiday and to Thanksgiving for some who are here in the states. I know there are some of you who are in Europe and, but, and wherever in Africa even, and, uh, but we are getting ready for what we call Turkey Day. Well, this evening, because it is evening here in Chicago, I have a guest that I’ve been knowing for a while. I met her, um, at the what used to be the National Association of Professional Women, but now it’s called something else. We’re going to talk about that later. And I wanted to have her on my show because what she does is something that we all need to know about. So who is this wonderful lady? Let me tell you who she is. Her name is Helen Morgan, and Helen is the founder and owner of Resource 55 at America’s Finest Real Estate. She is a successful real estate broker with over 30 plus years of experience, and she specializes in serving clients over the, well, 55 and plus. I’m one of those. I’m 55 and plus plus plus plus. And she’s a certified senior housing professional with expertise and compassion for her unique clients. And her clients are people who lived in their homes for, you know, maybe over 30 years. And you know how it is if you’ve been living in your home for a little while, you got all these attachments, you got all these memories, you got a lot of treasures, you got a lot of stuff. And what Helen does, she, when it comes time to make those big decisions, her services will help guide you through the entire transition. And she’s also the president of the Orland Park chapter of International Association of Women, and she’s been the president since 2013. And I, I think that’s when I met her. I think that’s when I met her. But anyway, Helen is passionate about helping others achieve their dreams from buying or selling a home, launching or growing a successful business, and fighting for the rights of the physically challenged. Helen is here to make a difference, and we are going to meet Helen as soon as I bring her in from the Green Room. I hope she’s had some nice refreshments back there. Hi Helen.
Helen Morgan
Oh, hello, hello Dr. Jan. How are you?
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
I am great, Helen. How are you?
Helen Morgan
Thank you for the wonderful introduction. I mean, you know, when you hear someone else say it, it’s like really, that’s me?
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
When did I meet you? In 2013. That’s when I…
Helen Morgan
Okay, okay. When I first started, um, actually I think I met you before I actually launched the Orland Park chapter, right?
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Were we in a Chicago chapter together before 2013?
Helen Morgan
Yes.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, okay. And you impressed me then, and you’re still impressing me now. So we have someone that says good evening, ladies. So good evening.
Helen Morgan
Yes, good evening, good evening.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So Helen, I’m gonna jump right into our conversation because I really want people to know just who you are and what you do. So you work primarily with seniors. So what motivated you to start working with us old folks?
Helen Morgan
Well, you know, I can use the old word, but I don’t let anybody else use it when they talk about me.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Exactly. No one else uses that, and I don’t use it either.
Helen Morgan
And I’m right there with you, Dr. Jan. So this is, uh, this is our people, right? These are our people. Um, and you know, this is, I’m glad that you asked me this question because I think that, uh, everything that I do and everything we will discuss after this, um, will be completely clear. In 20, I want to say it was about 2014, I had four clients throughout that year, all sons that had asked me they needed to move mom. And a couple of them were crisis situations where, you know, they were living out of state, they needed to move mom, they needed to get her to a safe place. She was living in the family home, you know, with stairs, with all the things that come along with the home that you may have had raising your children and, you know, still there because many, many of my clients are in their homes for 30, 40, 50 years. So it’s a long time. And of course, you know, being a realtor for at that point for over, oh, 25 years at that point, of course I could sell the home, but there was so much more that needed to be done. You know, these were situations where they needed to, for me to be able to help, or they needed for me to provide them a source or resource to be able to help them get mom moved safely into, let’s say, a senior living, you know, an assisted living or a smaller condo, whatever the situation might be with a house full of possessions. So it was odd that there were four sons, you know, it’s usually daughters, right, that are dealing with this, but in this case, it was one year, all sons. And I, I was able to help them, but let me tell you the struggles that we both were experiencing along with the overwhelmed feeling of being able to get this done and getting mom moved safely. You know, the house could wait, it could happen later, but I needed to help them with what they needed to be immediately. And most, just needless to say, most real estate brokers were not trained for that, you know, at all. And so that is what led me to the journey of trying to find a way to make this much easier because after those four sons that year, I realized there was such a need and I had to find a way to be able to help them without being so, without them being so overwhelmed so that they could spend time with their loved ones and not be dealing with all of the other things that come along with, with the crisis situation like that.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
But did you have to have special training?
Helen Morgan
Well, at that time, I did not have special training, so I was scrambling to find the resources. Um, and you know, that made me realize I needed special training. I needed to find a way to make this whole process much easier. And so I researched and I was on a quest, you know, there was no stopping me. It was like I was just on autopilot with there was, uh, you know, I’m going to find a way, I’m just going to find some type of resource to be able to, to be able to give me the tools that I needed to make things easier for these families. So I did. It was about two weeks. I found a certification program and the next thing you know, I was on a plane. I mean, it all happened that quickly. I was on a plane to Fort Lauderdale for the certification program. It was a two-day seminar, but the process, the certification took me a full year to complete. So it wasn’t something that happened, uh, and just gave me a few initials next to my name, you know, it prepared me for things that, uh, I never expected, you know, things I was not familiar with. I mean, I knew nothing about senior communities, you know, nothing. And most people don’t, you know, whether they’re realtors or not. I mean, you know, there are, um, there are so many things that come along with packing up a home that someone has lived in for 30, 40, 50 years. And like you mentioned earlier, the treasures that they have, that they hold so dear to their heart and the emotional aspect of having to move from a home in some many times not wanting to.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Right, I can imagine. And well, I’m thinking about, uh, my mom when she had to leave her house with stairs, you know, she had stairs going up to the bedrooms and she had stairs going down to the basement. And, and it was, I mean, she didn’t want to go, but we knew that she had to, especially when we started seeing bruises, you know, and when they, you know, like, how did you get that bruise? Oh, you know, I bumped into the door. Oh, but then we were finding out she was falling.
Helen Morgan
Yeah.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So, so how do you, and it was difficult for us, and I know other people and their, and their moms or dads, uh, ended up really, I’m not gonna say hating them, but really, really starting to dislike their children because they feel that they’re forced, they’ve been forced. So how do you, how do you work with the seniors that it’s really hard for them? You know, I mean, how do you, I guess you have to have special training to convince them.
Helen Morgan
And that’s, that’s another thing that this, this training helped me with because you are so right. Typically they are pushing back. They are pushing back to with their children because the children in many cases do not have the patience and they are forcing that, you know, think about even just something at, you know, that they really shouldn’t be driving any longer, right? So taking away that car, well now imagine taking away their home and telling them that they’re going to have to, whether it be, not all my clients go to senior communities, but whether it be, you know, they just need to be someplace closer to you or some of them do go to live with their, their children, you know, there are many, many, um, reasons that they would have to leave, but in most cases it’s because they’re no longer safe to live at home. Um, in, in the isolation, you know, is, is terrible. So it does take a special person and a lot of training on the emotional, um, aspect of making that move. I never ever, Dr. Jan, I never go into a senior’s home or a client’s home and, and say to them, you know, we’re going to list your house, you know, this is, I mean, we’re going to sell your house. I have a conversation with them and I am, I’m an extremely patient person and seniors are dear, dear, dear to my heart. They are my heart. So I love listening to their stories. I could sit there for hours and listen to their stories. We talk about their house, they talk about raising their children in their house and how important it is to them. You know, my, um, the thing, the thing that I always tell them is, you know, that this is a structure, four walls, you know, it’s a structure and all the memories we just sat and discussed, you know, they’re so beautiful, they’re just beautiful memories, but they, you know what, they’re here in your heart, they’re in your heart, you’re taking these memories wherever you go, you know, you are not, um, they’re not within this structure, this is a building, you know, and, and all the memories that you made here are going with you. Not all this stuff can go with it, but we don’t have that discussion at that point, you know, so we just start out and, and many times, you know, it’s not like a, like a typical real estate transaction where you would go in and you would, you know, make suggestions on getting the house ready. I don’t start out as a realtor when I meet with my senior clients. I don’t start out as a realtor at all, you know, so it is like you said, it is an emotional journey. It’s not, so there is very specific training that needs to happen, you know, there are many, many realtors out there that have the title of senior real estate specialist and I have that as well, but that did not prepare me in any way for, um, you know, what it takes to really move a senior, whether it be, you know, just mom, just dad or both, you know, in some cases it’s both because one or the other has become a caregiver for, for the other, you know.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah, so how long does it usually take, you know, once you start the process? Tell me the shortest time and the longest time, okay, but an average, you know.
Helen Morgan
Yeah, there is no average, Dr. Jan, because everyone is different, but this will just give you an idea of the type of work I do, um, is it can be depending on the situation. If it’s a crisis situation and absolutely mom cannot live there, I mean, because like you mentioned, falls or, you know, they’re disoriented or for whatever reason, you know, it could be as quick as a few weeks, but in most cases I’m meeting with clients and their families because I like to meet with the children as well because I want them to understand, you know, that, um, how much they feel, you know, as, as mom and dad, it’s your mom and dad, but what they’re feeling is they’re losing all control.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah.
Helen Morgan
And no one wants to do that, no one. So it can take anywhere from, you know, six to, I have worked with some clients up to two years.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
When they meet you, Helen, um, this, you know, a lot of seniors, uh, especially when they get to the point where, you know, they really have to leave the house, when they meet you, don’t they know that you, even though you don’t present yourself as a realtor, don’t they know that you are the person that’s really going to assist them into leaving their home? I mean, you know, so in other words, when they first meet you, do they view you, uh, with suspicion, you know, so that you have that when you go in?
Helen Morgan
Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes the, you know, all of them realize that of course I’m there to, um, to, to guide them and ultimately, you know, some of them think, oh, she’s just trying to take my house, you know, or depending on how it has been, how they’ve been prepared to meet me. But what I tell most of my clients, whether if I’m, if I’m talking with now, many times it’s the seniors calling me themselves and, you know, they’re ready.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah.
Helen Morgan
It’s not always the children or, you know, there, it’s not always the company, you know, I work with a lot of companies too that are like guardianship companies and things where they know people are no longer able to, so there’s a mix, but it’s not always the children that are calling me. But if, if it is the children that are calling me, you know, I always tell them that just let them know that you, you have someone you would like them to meet.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay.
Helen Morgan
Don’t tell them that I’m a realtor necessarily because that isn’t the last hat that I wear.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay.
Helen Morgan
Um, and so when I say that, Dr. Jan, the, you know, I, you know, if you were to, if you were to ask me, you know, what, uh, what, what makes me different, you know, than most realtors, you know, there is, um, it is that I, I do not come in as a realtor in most cases, you know, I’m an educator, number one, number two, I am an advocate always for my clients. And when it’s time, and it could be as much as like we said, two years down the road, but when it’s time, I’m a realtor. So, so with that being said, you know, it’s, it’s important for clients to understand that, you know, and not be afraid that everything’s going to move much quicker than they want it to move. And if they’re able to stay at home safely, it’s always about safety with me. And if they are able to, to remain at home safely and we can go through the process of, you know, decluttering, sorting, organizing, you know, finding the right place that they can be comfortable with and deciding how many things they can take with and what we’re going to do with the rest.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow, now that’s hard.
Helen Morgan
It is.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Because, uh, it’s even hard and, and you’re not even planning to move, you know, when we start talking about decluttering. So I can imagine how hard it is for seniors. And, and like you said, they brought their children up in the home. And when you’re in the home for over 30 years, I can imagine, I mean, I look at stuff now and I haven’t been in, in my house, you know, I think maybe 15 years and it’s like, good God.
Helen Morgan
Right.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And when you start decluttering, like they tell you, don’t open the box because if you haven’t been in that box in five years, you don’t know what’s in it. But if you open it and you look at it, oh, that’s right, this is what this is. And, and it’s hard. So I can imagine. So I’m gonna ask you, is that the most difficult part of, of the, of your process?
Helen Morgan
In most cases, um, it is definitely the most difficult part is letting go of the stuff. And, um, you know, because I mean, really it, you know, to them it’s treasures. I mean, they have treasures. Let’s face it, our kids, and I do the same thing myself. So, I mean, I get it. My kids laugh at me, but it’s like, what do you mean you don’t want the Christmas China?
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Right.
Helen Morgan
Mom, we are never gonna use your Christmas China.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
I think kids love it because, I mean, mine’s fun China, right?
Helen Morgan
Right, you know, we all have our, our stuff.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Special, yeah, we all think that.
Helen Morgan
And, but our kids don’t want it, you know, they really don’t. Think about, you know, I, I remember when you were going through all this with your mom and it’s like some of the things that, uh, that you had to deal with. Well, this is every family. I mean, you know, everyone thinks they’re the only one. No, it’s every family. And dealing with this stuff is one of the hardest things. Um, if they’re, if they realize that you are there to help them, you know, because obviously they can’t take it all with them. And if it’s stuff that’s been in the basement for years that they have not, have not even looked at, but when they are, when they have their mind, their, their physical ability to do things, you want to include them in everything you’re doing and make sure that they realize that you’re there as their advocate to support them and to help them with the difficult conversations that they may have to have with their children as well. And number one, that they are in control. They are always in control. And that’s the hardest thing for the children, right? Realize you need to approach this at a different, and this is where all the training comes in, Dr. Jan. And I know that, you know, you’re, you’re an educate, you, you continuously educate yourself. I know that in every aspect, you know, anytime you can’t, it’s like if you can learn something new, you’re, you’re doing it, right? And I feel the same way. It’s like we can’t possibly have enough education, you know, and to be able to, I want to be able to spread the word, educate more people on how we, you know, how this process can be much easier for everyone involved and that you as the, as the children are able to spend time with your loved one and it not be a constant battle.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Oh, it shouldn’t have to be.
Helen Morgan
It shouldn’t have to be.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
It shouldn’t have to be. We got a Sandy Barney in this, and it broke my heart to see my mom’s face. And she was an extremely independent woman. When we moved her to our house, she never said a word. And the silence almost killed me. After the move, we showered her with attention and she loved that. We gave her the privacy she needed and we gave her choices. She grew to love being with us. The, the wonderful memories we have of those last years, they do, they lasted years.
Helen Morgan
Yeah, yeah, Sandy, that warms my heart. And that’s what I want to be able to give in my clients. I want to be able to give them that experience and help them find a way that they can have an experience like that. It’s never easy for mom or dad to move or especially if they think that they’re going to be a burden to you.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah.
Helen Morgan
You know, that’s very hard for them thinking about moving into your house. But you did everything right, Sandy. You gave her her space, you let her feel independent, and, you know, eventually she was able to come around and really enjoy those last years. And that’s, that’s what I wish for all, all my clients and, and, you know, all, all of you, all of you, you know, and your loved ones. You know, unfortunately, it doesn’t always end up that way.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Right. So Helen, I gotta take a, a brief pause, a brief commercial, and I’ve got a couple of questions that came in that, um, the viewers have sent. So, uh, don’t go anywhere. I’m right here. We’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere. There are a couple of questions that came in that, um, I think, um, we all want to know the answers to. So just a couple of brief commercials and we’ll be right back.
[Commercial Break]
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Helen Morgan. So now this is a question that came in. Can you tell us about your best and worst experience during your career helping with seniors and housing?
Helen Morgan
Well, I have many best, believe it or not, believe it or not. Um, the, the best one is, is kind of what Sandy, what Sandy just shared with us as far as when, when mom, you know, in typically they don’t want to move, we know that. I, I mean, I think I’ve, I’ve stressed that enough. Typically they do not want to move, but when they actually do and they’re settled into their new place, whether it be with, you know, with a family member or a condo, a smaller condo or a senior community, and they actually start living an active lifestyle with, you know, social engagement and becoming more involved in when I, you know, because I always keep in contact with my clients, you know, when I, I love going to have lunch with them and, and just being in contact with them. And when they say to me, I have never been so happy. And I’ve had many, many clients say that to me. I wish I had done this sooner. So that puts, you know, I mean, that fills my heart. That totally fills my heart to hear something like that. And, um, the worst, the worst, um, is any time that I have a client that or a potential client and I get a call, uh, you know, maybe we’ve been talking about it for quite some time and they’ve just been pushing back, pushing back and not wanting to do it. Um, you know, we, we keep talking about it, we keep having the conversation, but then it ends up a crisis situation to where, you know, they’re no longer able to even move into an independent or assisted living. Now it’s become, you know, they have to go to a skilled nursing community. So where they need full-time care. Okay. So those are the worst situations. Um, the absolute ideal situation is when we can’t start making a plan with the families, even if it’s two years, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. It’s like, you know, you know that the time is going to come where you can no longer live in a two-story home with, you know, the washer and dryer in the basement. You know that the time is going to come. So you know what, don’t think by making that phone call to me that it’s going to be something that happens overnight, that it happens quickly, but at least let’s make a plan to make sure that as long as you’re there, you’re safe and we can start doing the decluttering and the organizing and donations or, you know, even if it’s a, an estate sale, you know, you can make a plan with an eligible attorney. There are so many resources that are out there that are available to you. And I will give you one example, and this is probably the one that’s closest to my heart. Little did I know in 2014 when I was on this quest to find a better way, right, to be able to do this for my clients and not have sons calling me, um, in situations like that, little did I know that less than one year later, my own father living three and a half hours away from me was diagnosed with dementia and living on 35 acres of property and a rural area, a big house, a full pole barn full of stuff and, you know, a lot of antique cars, I mean, a lot of things. So I can’t even imagine, Dr. Jan, if I had not gone through this training, how I would have ever navigated that situation and been able to get my father near me safe and plus then have to sell, you know, the, the house, everything just to be able to pay for his care, uh, which is very expensive when they’re, when you know, they have to go into, and he was a wanderer, so he couldn’t stay at home with me for very long because he started like disappearing, you know, and we can’t do that with our seniors. Um, so that is probably the one that broke my heart the most. Although again, I’m very, very happy that I had the training that I did to be able to put me in contact with all the resources that I had to build in order to get the certification that I did. I had to actually go out and build a complete resource team of people that specializes in all of these situations. So I had people, you know, I had the experts to make the phone call to that were, were actually, you know, perfect resources for me. And I can’t imagine had I not had that. So, you know, that, that was something that, uh, and I can honestly say now that in 2014, I was thinking, um, I’ve been doing this a long time. It was almost 30 years then. And how much longer would I be doing this? You know, would I be, be in the real estate industry? And when I had that situation ended up going, getting the certification, finding a way to help these families, I, I can honestly say now, you know, people say find something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. Well, at that time I was already 58 years old. So I was thinking in a few years I wouldn’t be doing this any longer. But I can honestly say now that if I didn’t need a paycheck or a way to make money that I would still do this. I found my calling. I found my purpose and my why. And that’s it happened that way.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow, wow. One of the user says this is a tremendous resource and blessings for families. Yes. So, okay, so what should we do now? Because I mean, if we live, we’re all going to come that way because I’m thinking about I, I don’t live in a two-story, not really, but I do have stairs going down to the basement to the family room. And I started thinking, you know, I’m staying here too. I just won’t go downstairs. But you know, before we get to the point where we, you know, that more than likely we have to give up where we are living, if we’re living in homes that really we just really can’t, you know, manage any more physically or whatever, what should we do be doing now?
Helen Morgan
Creating a plan.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay.
Helen Morgan
You know, really creating a plan. And you know, that can be something as simple as sitting, you know, again, if you call me, if you call me tomorrow, I am not coming to your house to sell your house. I, I don’t, I don’t, uh, think of it that way. And I have never really, I mean, as many years as I’ve been doing this, you know, I’ve never thought of my business as a sales position. And everyone laughs at me when I say that they’re because they’re like, Helen, come on, you are a real estate broker. Of course, you’re a salesperson. Well, no, I’m not. I don’t feel that I’ve ever sold a thing in my life. And I’ve been doing this for over 30 years. So it’s a matter of making a plan, having a plan so that, okay, maybe it is two years down the line. Maybe you’re thinking five years down, but what do we need to do? What do we need to start doing now to make it easier when that time comes? And in most cases, it is decluttering, organizing, men, you know, simplifying your lifestyle or many of my clients don’t move, believe it or not. I don’t always sell their house. We bring in aging in place specialists that will do home modifications so that they can stay in their home. So it’s not always a move. It’s just part of the, the resource team that I’ve, that I’ve built. You know, I mean, my husband has some mobility issues and we need things done, um, that, you know, we definitely bring in whatever resources needed, you know, maybe you, you can’t lift your leg over that shower anymore or over that tub anymore, you know, or maybe like you said, you know, going up and down the stairs. Some people, you know, they’re able to, to get by okay with a chair lift. So, I mean, there are, but the thing is you don’t know that until you actually sit down and think about all the possibilities. Uh, what are your options? You know, so you need to know, you need an assessment to be able to know going forward exactly what it would take, you know, to stay in the home or make more sense to move, you know, so that’s what it’s about. And that’s what I come back to when I say, you know, I become an advocate for my clients. It’s not always about just selling the home.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, so it’s just really getting prepared. So yeah, because I was going to ask you, you know, when you say make a plan, it’s, I can understand the decluttering definitely. I just need to do that anyway. Uh, you know, but I guess if, if you are just really, really want to stay in your home, uh, look for resources now and have that in your plan, uh, so that, yeah, like you said, modifications or start doing it now.
Helen Morgan
Yeah.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
You know, start doing it now. I have a friend that that’s, that that’s their business, you know, the home modifications. And this is a funny, a funny thing that she says she’s only not even, I don’t think, I think she might be 50 at the most. I mean, you know, late 40s, early 50s. And her, she said if had grab bars in my shower, she said since I was in my early 40s because let me tell you, I’m not going down without a fight.
Helen Morgan
Okay.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So people, you don’t have to feel bad about doing that, but you know, be prepared. I mean, you know, if you, I mean, if you think maybe a, a chair lift would be good if you have a washer and dryer that’s in the basement, you need to figure out a way. Okay, let’s get someone over to, to be able to get it on the main floor.
Helen Morgan
Right.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
You know, um, if your bedrooms are all upstairs and you still want to stay, well then you need, you know, the, a stair lift. I mean, there’s, there’s many, many options. So selling the home isn’t the only option. This is the reason I did what I did to be able to, most real estate brokers, I mean, are going to the home to sell the home. I’m not.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
That’s not me.
Helen Morgan
That’s What Makes You unique.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Unique. That’s What Makes You unique. And Brenda Tucker Jeffrey says thank you for your service, Helen. I didn’t know about your service until after I had to do it all by myself. I highly recommend you for those that may be in need of your services. And if people want to contact you, let me find it here. I think this is you. Is this where they can contact you?
Helen Morgan
That is the best way to reach me. I do have a website, but my, this is my cell number and you will all, I will always return your call. If you leave me a message and I am not available, I will always get right back to you.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay. I was trying to, uh, do something here to put your website in, but for some reason my computer won’t let me go down that far. But wait, you know, I’ve got to put your website in here. So I’m going to delete something and see if I can, it still won’t let me, you know, well, we, we talked about technology before.
Helen Morgan
Yeah, we did.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
You were having a little technical, a little technical beef briefs. I’m going to keep this up there. Uh, so you are, we got about 10 minutes. So you are the, uh, president of International Association of Women, the Orland Park cabinet. Tell us about the, the International Association of Women. I’m going to keep your number there just so people can either take a screenshot or go get a pen or something.
Helen Morgan
The easy thing, the website is, is www.resource55.com. So it’s simple and it’s, you know, it’s a work in prog, I mean, it’s being, it’s being updated as we speak, but there are some information, but this really is the best way to reach me, Dr. Jan. And as far as the International Association of Professional Women, I absolutely love whether I were the, was the president or not, it wouldn’t matter. I would still be a part of this group. I have been the president for probably the longest standing president there so far with this organization only because I live in the south suburbs. And as you know, I mean, you do as well. And the Chicagoland area is a very big area. Um, so I was attending when I first joined the organization, I was attending meetings in Chicago, um, Schaumburg, Naperville. They had a Naperville chapter at that time. So that was quite a travel for me when they approached me about launching a chapter in the south suburbs. I just said yes. Funny, funny story about that is that I had, I had the biggest fear it ever in my entire life. I had this fear of speaking in front of people. I didn’t do that well. When I said yes, I said yes because there was such a need for an or, you know, the, an organization like this to be in the south suburbs. And I was thinking of everyone else. Never was I thinking, Helen, you are gonna have to get up in front of people and speak. So it was always kind of funny to me that, that I was able, that I just said yes. And I think we do that sometimes when there, we see there’s such a great need for something and the members, um, you know, in the south suburbs, most of them were working full-time jobs. So to travel to the city or to Naperville or to Schaumburg for a meeting, you know, they couldn’t make it in most cases. So we have an excellent group of women. Um, this is probably one of the most supportive organizations I have. And believe me, over the years, I’ve, I’ve had belonged to many, many networking organizations. This is much more than a networking organization. I mean, the programs that we have, um, I mean, it’s now an international, you know, women’s organizations. So, I mean, you just meet people from all over the world and, uh, the programs, the leadership programs that they offer, um, is, I mean, there’s just no way to describe everything that is, that you could possibly, um, get involved with the mentorship programs they’ve had, they have, um, it’s an honor and a pleasure to be the president of the Orland Park chapter for sure.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, I put website on at least I did have that one. And, and so ladies, um, any of you who want to join, you can go there, but you got to make sure that you, you join the Orland Park chapter. Oh, wait a minute. There’s something else here that’s a Sandy said it just came through. Let me see if I can get it up there. If it will replace everything. Okay. She says I was warned to downsize from my children as a hobby years ago. I would replicate antique dolls from France and Germany and dollhouses. Many hours go into making their clothing, shoes, umbrella, purses, etc. I have dolls everywhere in showcases. My children would warn me that when I closed my eyes for the last time, I better have a will with names of students and addresses to tell where their new home would be because they would give it to charity. And okay, Sandy, you have about 10 years ago, my oldest went to a, that’s all we got is a D. I don’t know what that means. So anyway, Sandy, we have to put the rest of it on there because the rest of the rest comes. But if she does, I’ll put it on there. But Helen, uh, what I, you know, I’m just going to ditto what, what, what, uh, uh, Brenda said that, uh, uh, and that’s what another Facebook user said that this is a tremendous resource and blessing for families and service for families because I don’t think, uh, most of us knew that there was that resource, that there was a person like you, you know, that we could go to this is happening because like, uh, Brenda said she had to do it all by herself and I had to do it all by myself, you know, and, and didn’t know that, that, uh, there was a resource out there like that. And so, so that’s, that’s wonderful. You, you were really doing the service and I mean, we all going to go there sooner or later, either we’re going to go ourselves or are we’re going to have to do it for a loved one. So I really want to thank you for that. I really want to thank you.
Helen Morgan
Thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spread, um, the awareness, you know, and, and unfortunately, Dr. Jan, there’s not enough people, um, looking out for our seniors and taking care of things like this. There’s only 300 of us in the country that do what I do.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah. Okay. All right. Well, thank you so much for, for, uh, coming on the show as my guest. I, I really, really appreciate you gave us awesome valuable information. And so I’m going to start decluttering. I got so much, wait a minute. And you told me, wait, I just have a son and I know he doesn’t want my credit.
Helen Morgan
Man or daughter or son, they don’t want it. They don’t.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So thank you so much, Helen. So you have a beautiful blessed rest of your evening and stay warm.
Helen Morgan
Yes, you do the same and have a Happy Thanksgiving and thank you so much for giving me the opportunity.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And thank you, Helen. Bye-bye.
Helen Morgan
Bye.
Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
That is, well, the, the information that we got, that’s, that’s something that, oh my goodness, uh, that we all should know about and think about it. And I, most of my audience are midlife women, they’re seniors. And Sandy, you’re gonna have to do something with those dolls, dear. Okay. So, um, what I do want to share with you is that on November 21st, before I find it before, uh, Thanksgiving 6 p.m. Where is it? 6 p.m. Central Standard Time. I am doing a free webinar. And as you can see, the webinar is entitled the secrets to enjoying the holidays without fighting with your relatives. Now, if you would like to enjoy the holidays with your family, keep the family gathering friendly and conflict free, learn what to do when you are the host, learn what to do when you are the guest. And you know, sometimes as hosts, hosts and hostesses, we might have some a relative that likes to cause drama. But this is a free webinar, 6 p.m. Central Standard Time. And if you can take a screenshot of this, if you’re on your computers, ladies who are not techy, and I found this on myself, uh, you just go to where it says print screen on your lap on your, uh, keyboard and that’ll take a screenshot. That is the link that you can go to or if you need me to send you the link directly so you can click on it, just email me at Janfornow125@gmail.com. I am going to give you some tools and some tips and give you the secrets to enjoying the holidays without fighting with your relatives. Someone I told someone about this and they said, oh, you mean so we won’t fight about, uh, that last piece of turkey? That’s, yeah, maybe. So anyway, that’s that. And I hope that I will see you all have a beautiful, beautiful blessed Thanksgiving. Don’t eat too much, uh, since it is Thanksgiving, I will be doing an encore and then4now125@gmail.com. If you have seen a particular show that you really would like to see again, a guest that you would like to hear from again, let me know and that will be the encore. After that, two weeks from now, December 3rd will be my next show and that will be my birthday show because my birthday is December 5th and it’s going to be a special show because as you know, last year I became an octogenarian, so I’ll be an octogenarian plus one. So I hope to see all of you all on December 3rd. Have a beautiful blessed Thanksgiving holiday. Don’t eat too much turkey. Don’t eat too much period. I’m not going to promise that. But anyway, so I shall see all of you again in two weeks. Have a beautiful blessed rest of your day. Alrighty. Bye-bye.